Kingdom
by Kate Manoso
Summary: The title may never make sense. A little bit of humor and angst. Plus, a big 'WHAT THE FK' thrown in.
1. The Mistake

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

_A/N: I am not abandoning War Zone. The first half of this chapter popped into my head about three weeks ago. I wrote it and then put it away for a rainy day. That rainy day came while I was at work last weekend along with three other chapters. Now, it's crowding my FF account and taunting me. So, sit back, relax, and hopefully you'll enjoy this. As always... Thanks Linda._

* * *

My name is Stephanie Plum. I'm a Bond Enforcement Agent for my cousin Vinnie. Vinnie owns Vincent Plum Bail Bonds and I'm his only Agent. Well, I take that back. I'm not his only one. There's also Lula, my side-kick and partner in crime. She use to be a ho, but now she's a file clerk for Vinnie. Not a lot of filing actually happens when Lula is in the office. Plus, there's also Ranger. His my mentor, friend, and my Cuban dream-sex companion. He owns a security company called RangeMan that I sometimes work at. I usually only go there when the bounty huntering is going kind of slow. 

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be slowing down at the moment.

I have four FTA, failure to appear, files sitting on the front seat of my brand new 2004 Chevy Tracker. Brand new to me, that is. I have my cuffs tucked into the back pocket of my faded jeans, mace in my front pocket, stun gun sticking out of my other back pocket, gun in my purse under the front seat of my car. Better there then the cookie jar at home, right? I'm standing outside of a trailer that I know all too well. I'm now on a first name basis with the man that owns this trailer that sits out in the middle of nowhere.

I was contemplating going up to the door and knocking when my cell started vibrating in my pocket. I got a momentary hot flash and then dug it out of my pocket. What can I say? I haven't had sex in two months. I glanced down at the caller I.D. and smiled.

"Yo," I said when I answered my phone.

"Yo."

"What's up, Ranger?"

"What are you doing out at Diggery's?"

"He's FTA."

"Lula?"

"Shaking in her boots back at the office."

"Babe."

I sighed and shook my head when the line went dead. I was always so amusing to him. I felt my normal reaction to the thought of the extremely large snake that Simon owned as I pushed myself off of the side of my Tracker. I made my way over to the steps and pounded on the door as I shouted my regular greeting.

"Bond Enforcement!"

The door flew open and a very drunk Simon smiled down at me. He reached out and grabbed the front of my shirt. Before my brain could register a reaction, I was pulled through the front door and pushed down into a chair. The nervous feeling that I had just a moment ago about the snake had quadrupled. I briefly wished for a time machine to transport me back five minutes so that I could climb back into my Tracker and fly back to the bonds office.

"Steph," Simon slurred. "What brings you here?"

"Simon," I said as I looked nervously from Simon to his father to his brother, all extremely drunk. "You missed court yesterday. I need to get you re-bonded."

"Sure, Steph," Simon said after he downed the rest of his beer. "Let me piss and then we can go."

I started to feel a little better about three drunk Diggery's when I watched Simon disappear down the hall. Maybe this won't really be all that bad. Simon's father and brother chatted me up while I waited for him to come back out. They seemed to be very interested in the bounty hunter business.

I wish that hind sight was more like before sight. I should have known that something was going to back fire on me. I saw everything happen in slow motion as I made two very stupid mistakes. It was like an out of body experience. I watched myself pull out the stun gun and show Diggery's father how to use it. Mistake number one. I watched myself hand it over to him. Mistake number two. I watched as he turned it on me and then I watched myself slump over. Hey! The blackness falls over you even when you are having an out of body experience. Who knew?

"Steeephanie."

I could hear someone calling me, but I couldn't get my eyes to open.

"Steeephanie."

Who is calling me? I finally got one eye pried open and looked into the face of a still very drunk Simon Diggery. It took a moment for my brain to click back into place. Once it did, I realized the bizarre situation that I was now in. I found myself tied down to a chair with clothes line rope and, what I'm absolutely positive could only be, my own hand cuffs securing my hands behind my back.

"Would you like to see your new hair cut?" Simon asked with a very large grin.

I felt all of the blood drain from my face. Hair cut? I looked into the mirror that Simon held in front of my face and started to see black dots appear in my vision. Simon tapped the side of my face and started massaging the back of my neck. I looked up at him and sucked in a breath of air once I realized that I wasn't breathing.

"I guess that wasn't such a great idea," Simon's dad said as he leaned in to get a good look at my face.

My vision got a little blurry, so I blinked and let the tears fall.

"Oh, Man! She's crying," Simon's brother said. "I can't stand it when a woman cries."

"Let's get her free," Simon's dad said as he unlocked the hand cuffs.

Once they got me up out of the chair, I took a couple of steps back from them and ran my hands through my hair. Maybe I need to rephrase that. I ran my hands over my scalp. They had shaved my head while I was out after I had been stunned. I looked up at Simon and felt more tears fall down my face.

"Find a hat. I can't let her take me in like this. Morelli might freak and get her to press charges on us," Simon said to his dad.

Fifteen minutes later, I was driving down the road with Simon sitting next to me. I had taken a moment to wash off my face and throw on some more mascara before I threw on the wool nit hat that Simon's dad had found. It still had the tag on and it smelled brand new, so I threw it on and tried to tell myself that it really wasn't all that bad.

I had held it together pretty well, even when we got to the back door of the police station. I was climbing out of my Tracker when I heard a low whistle come from behind me. I turned around to see Big Dog and Carl standing in the doorway.

"Are you missing hair?" Carl asked as he squinted at me.

"Do. Not. Say. A. Word." I hissed at the two men that were already shaking with silent laughter.

I pushed the guys out of the way as I escorted Diggery into the station. I was thankful that he felt bad that his dad and brother had shaved my head. He was a little angel through the re-booking process. I was standing at the booking desk talking to Robin when I felt a familiar hand being placed on my lower back. I looked up over my shoulder and smiled at the light brown eyes that were staring down at me.

"Hey, Joe," I said as I turned around.

"Cupcake. Carl said that I just had to come and see you. Why?" Joe said quietly as he leaned down slightly.

I ever so proudly ripped the hat off of my head and ran my hand over the peach fuse that might be considered hair. I watched as Joe's face went white. I grabbed the body receipt that Robin was handing me and cruised out of the station. I smiled and waved at everyone that I passed as I made my way out. I was still smiling as I climbed into my Tracker and pulled out of the lot. I was actually starting to feel okay about the new hair cut. It was weird, but there were a few upsides to this. It cut an hour out of my morning routine. I wouldn't have to check the weather channel every morning to see if it was worth going all out. Skips wouldn't be able to pull my hair anymore. Yep! I'm feeling a lot better about this. Denial is still my best friend.

I cruised into the bonds office and threw myself down on the couch. I looked from Connie to Lula and back again. They were both gaping at me. The office was completely silent. It was so silent that I could hear Vinnie in his lair. I shivered when I heard a continuous squishing sound. It was definitely time for some noise before I got any mental pictures about what Vinnie was doing.

"What?" I asked Connie.

"Where is your hair?" she asked cautiously.

"Laying on the floor in Simon's kitchen," I said calmly.

"What?" Lula shouted. Evidently she came out of her stupor.

"It's a very long, very embarrassing story that I will never tell," I said as I started fishing around in my purse for my body receipt.

I felt the atmosphere change and I got a familiar tingle on the back of my neck. I decided to ignore it and continued on my hunt. I finally found the paper and walked it over to Connie's desk. She was nervously tapping her fingers on her desk. I followed her line of vision out the window. Ranger was standing at the door frozen with his hand on the handle. I smiled as I walked over to the door and opened it.

"Babe," he whispered as he took in the sight of my bald head. "What happened?"

"Simon's drunk father and brother happened," I said as I continued to smile at him.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the office. I allowed him to pull me down the side walk and into the alley. He released me and started pacing the alley. This isn't a good sign. Batman doesn't pace. He stands and stares. That's just the way that he is. I stood there and watched him pace for a few minutes. The silence was starting to get to me, so I put my hands behind my back and started fidgeting. I, for some reason, always felt a little uncomfortable fidgeting in front of Ranger.

"What?" I shouted when I couldn't stand the silence. I was pretty proud that I held out for about five minutes. But, come on. He pulled me out here, right?

"Did they hurt you?" he finally asked once he stopped pacing. I was expecting the pavement to catch fire from the death glare that Ranger was giving it.

"Just my pride."

"Babe."

"Ranger," I said as I walked over to stand in front of him. I used his own moves against him and gently tilted his head up to look into my eyes. "I know that I should be a little crazy right now. But honestly, I'm okay with it at the moment. It was my own fault anyway."

"How?"

"You don't really want to know," I said as I released his chin. "That's one thing that the Diggery's and I are taking to the grave."

"Babe," he said with a hint of a smile before he disappeared out of the alley.

I was about to vacate the alley when my cell phone started vibrating in my pocket again. I pulled in out and grimaced at the caller I.D. My Mother. I weighed my options carefully. If I don't answer my phone now, then she'll just keep on calling. If I answer my phone, I'll never hear the end of how she has a hopeless daughter who now has no hair. Before I realized what I had done, I found my phone open and my mouth saying, "Hello, Mother."

"Did Simon Diggery really shave off all of your hair?" my mother shouted through the phone.

"It wasn't Simon," I reasoned. "It was his father and brother."

"Why do you have to do this to me?" my mother shouted. I had a feeling that it was a rhetorical question, so I just let her continue her rant as I left the ally and walked into the bonds office. "Why can't you be like..."

I had heard it all before. Why couldn't I be like someone else's daughter? Why was I such a disaster? Why didn't I quit my job, marry Joe, and start popping out kids? It was the last one that did it.

"Mom!" I shouted into my phone as I stood in the middle of the office. "I told you two months ago that Joe and I are finished. Joe is no longer an option."

"Don't be silly, Stephanie," my mother chided. "Just make him dinner and put out and things will be just fine."

"Ohmygod! I know that you didn't just suggest that I should sleep my way back into Joe's life!" I shouted. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, Stephanie. I'm just trying to be realistic. You're thirty-four years old. You're divorced. Thank God you don't have any children. Then you'd never find a man," my mother said. "Just suck it up and go back to Joe."

For the first time in my life, I actually hung up on my mother. I felt the sudden urge to break something and decided that the small phone in my hand would have to do. Connie and Lula had been silently watching me for my reaction to my mother and I suspect that neither one of them had been expecting what I was about to do. It was confirmed when they both winced as I pulled my arm back and then let the phone sail through the air and hit Vinnie's office door.

That didn't feel like it was enough, though. I needed something bigger. Something with an explosion and flames. I was blessed by God when I heard the door squeak open. I turned around and saw Joyce standing in the door way. She looked stunned for a brief moment before a supremely large grin flashed over her lips.

"I love the new hair cut, Stephanie," she said as she moved into the office. "Who is your new hair dresser?"

"Mr. Diggery," I said cheekily. "If you'd like, I could get you an appointment."

"No thanks," Joyce said as she sashayed passed me towards Vinnie's office. "The 'Mister Clean' look isn't in at the moment."

I cut a look at Lula that warned her not to say anything. She huffed from her seat on the couch and we all watched Joyce disappear into Vinnie's lair. I quickly ran to the back storage room and started riffling through the boxes. I found my hidden treasures and ran back out into the office. I crept up to Vinnie's door and stuck my ear against it. I could hear Joyce giggling like a school girl. Perfect!

"What are you doing?" Lula asked as she eyed my hands.

"Destroying the phone wasn't enough," I whispered as I moved passed Connie and Lula and headed for the door. I took a moment to load both of the guns that I held in my hands before I attatched the silencers. Lula and I had confiscated them from a couple of gang members a few of weeks ago. I don't know why I had hid them, but right now, I was glad that I did. I looked over my shoulder at Lula and gave her an evil grin. "I really like Joyce's pretty red, Jeep."

I hear Lula bolt from her seat when I opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was ten-thirty in the morning on a Wednesday and the streets were deserted. God really was on my side today. I manuevered myself between Lula's Firebird and my Tracker and squatted. I looked over my shoulder when I felt Lula brush up against my back.

"I am so not missing this, Whitey," Lula whispered.

"Be look out then," I whispered. "Tell me when the coast is clear."

I looked back over at Joyce's Jeep. It sparkled under the bright sun. I hated that damn Jeep. It was always so clean and it never had a water spot on it. Anywhere. Even after it rained. I was working myself up into rhino mode whan Lula whispered from behind me.

"All clear."

I took a deep breath and started firing at the Jeep. The only thing that we could hear was the breaking of the glass as I shot out all of the windows. Lula started giggling when I moved on to the tires. I started to giggle when I started shooting at the passanger side door. The rapid pinging was light and barely noticeable, but you could tell what I was doing. Pretty soon the smiley face was recognizable and Lula was silently shaking behind me. I gave her one last evil grin as I took aim at the rear end of the Jeep and popped off two rounds.

The explosion that occured on the other side of the street was one like I had never seen before. Joyce must have just topped off her gas tank. My mouth fell open as the Jeep hopped up in the air. While the vehicle was airborn, it flipped over and exploded once again. The pretty red Jeep landed with a resounded crash. I swear that I felt the ground shake.

I felt two hands grab my shirt and haul me off of the ground. Lula threw me into the alley and we both took off running. We ended up a block down the street behind the bakery. I stopped by the dumpster and bent over as I tried to catch my breath. Lula was on the ground in front of me, coughing and laughing at the same time.

"That was... the greatest... thing... I've ever... seen," Lula said between caughs.

"I feel... so much... better," I said between wheezes.


	2. The Race

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. Small reference to Justin Timberlake.

Thanks, Linda.

* * *

After a quick discussion over food, Lula and I hit the sub shop. The new hairdo and the two guns that were tucked into the back of my jeans, covered my an overly large Pink Floyd shirt that I had stolen from Bobby, left me feeling strange. I decided that I would have to find some quiet time later to analyze this new feeling. We grabbed subs and drinks for the three of us and headed back down the street to the bonds office. 

It was mayhem in the streets. There were three fire trucks, ten police cruisers, two ambulances, and three black Broncos. Plus, we can't forget, Ranger's Porsche and Joe's SUV. Lula was telling me about her last date with Tank as we walked down the sidewalk towards the office. I half listened to her and half watched the men put out the flame engulfed Jeep.

I waved at Tank when I saw him climb out of one of the Broncos. His brows furrowed into confusion before I saw recognition flicker across his face. I guess having all of your hair shaved off can alter your appearance somewhat.

"What happened?" he asked as he crossed the street.

"A minor mishap at Simon Diggery's house this morning," I said as I smiled up at the large man.

He seemed to ponder my response for a moment before he asked, "Gum?"

"I wish," I laughed as I grabbed the drink carrier from Lula and headed into the office.

I thought that it was only fair to let her steal a moment with her man while he was here. I dropped the drinks and the bags on Connie's desk as I sat in the chair that sat in front of it. We both watched Lula and Tank through the windows as our hands mindlessly sorted through the bags. It was cute to see the two of them together. Tank was such a large and hard man that it was always so startling to watch the blank face fade and see the love move in.

"Oh," Connie said pulling my attention from the window. She pulled a bag out of her bottom drawer and tossed it to me. I caught the bag and examined it. It was a bag of bullet shells. Connie continued her train of thought. "I couldn't believe what you did. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. You should have stuck around. I had to pound on the wall to tell Joyce that it was her Jeep that just blew up. She flew out of Vinnie's office as she was pulling her pants up."

"Damn," I swore with a laugh. "I can't believe that I missed that."

"She ran out into the street and started screaming," Connie said with a chuckle. "I was able to go out and sweep up the shells as she ranted and raved in the middle of the street. No one even noticed me with all of the screaming that she was doing. The paramedics just took her away because she fainted and hit her head on Lula's Firebird."

"I hope she didn't dent it," I laughed. I held up the bag before I stuffed it into my purse and said, "Thanks."

"It was worth the risk of getting caught. That's going to be Burg gossip for days. It might even trump your new do," Connie said as she unwrapped her sub. "I told the cops that a late eighties blue, Ford pickup stopped in the street and open fired on Joyce's Jeep."

"Where'd the pickup come from?" I asked around a mouthful of food.

"Some asshole who cut me off yesterday," Connie said after she took a drink.

We sat there and ate while we watched the fire department get everything cleaned up. Lula ambled in just as the tow truck pulled up. She had a huge grin plastered across her face. I recognized the face of that of a woman who had just seen _the_ man in her life. I momentarily wished for what she had. It was only a moment because Joe chose the next moment to pop his head into the office and motion me outside.

"What's up?" I asked once he closed the door.

"You know anything about that?" Joe asked as he pointed to the burnt metal that was now sitting on the back of the tow truck.

"Nope," I said as I smiled up at him and slung my purse over my shoulder.

"You didn't see anything?"

"Nope. Me and Lula were at the sub shop," I said simply. I knew when Joe was trying to interrogate me. He was a lot more subtle then the rest of the boys in blue.

"Did you happen to see any suspicious vehicles?"

"Nope."

"Your head is freaking me out," Joe said after a moment of silence with a sigh as he shook his head.

"That came out of nowhere," I said with a huff as I crossed my arms. "It's starting to grow on me."

"It's distracting me. I can't talk to you like this," Joe said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

I had learned over the years that this was a sign of frustration, stress, and aggravation for Joe. I'm sure that I'm causing him all three at the moment. He's frustrated because I have nothing for him. He's stressed because the only lead he has on this crappy case is an eighties pickup. And he's aggravated because I'm sure that the guys are giving him a load of shit for my lack of hair even though we aren't together any more. I guess that those are all things that he's just going to have to get over.

"I'd love to sit around and talk about my head all day," I said with a pleasant smile, "But I have work to do."

"I'll call you if I have any more questions," Joe mumbled as he watched the tow truck pull away.

"Great," I said as I waved at Connie and Lula through the window.

I walked over to my Tracker and hopped in. I leaned over to grab my files and shrieked when my door opened on its own. I looked over at Ranger who was smiling at me. I rolled my eyes in anticipation of the 'be more aware of you surroundings' lecture that was coming. This earned a chuckle due to Ranger's ESP.

"I'll save the lecture for later and just take these," Ranger said as he pulled the two guns out of the back of my pants and tucked them into his. "I thought that you might want to know that I heard Lester taking bets on what happened to your head. You may want to track down the Diggery's and re-enforce the no talking rule."

"Thanks for the heads up," I said with a nod.

"You still aren't going to tell me, are you?" Ranger asked. I could see his eyes crinkle in the corners. I was once again amusing him.

"Not until hell freezes over, martians abduct me, and I somehow wake up with my virginity intact," I mused. I love it when I know something that he doesn't.

"I guess I'm in the market for a grave robber."

"I'll race you to Diggery's," I said quickly as I flashed him a wicked grin.

I barely saw his eyes light up at the challenge as I pushed him back and slammed my door shut. He was like a black streak as he headed off to his car. I was lucky that I wasn't blocked in by seven other vehicles like Ranger was. I just threw my Tracker in reverse and spun my tires as I made a u-turn in the street.

Buildings gave way to trees as I cruised down the road towards Simon's place. I knew that he would be at home either trying to sober up or getting more sloshed since Connie had bonded him right back out again. I ran my fingers over the CD holder that was attached to my sun visor and stopped randomly. I grabbed the CD and popped it in as I raced down the road.

_Future, sex, love, sound._

I started to dance in my seat as I drove towards the Diggery homestead. I spied a black dot in the distance through my rear view mirror. Ranger was about ten miles back when I turned off the main road. I sped down the road and fishtailed into Diggery's driveway. I grabbed my stun gun and cuffs before I jumped out of my Tracker and ran to the trailer.

I realized that God was still on my side when I flew through the front door and found Simon, his father, and his brother still drinking at the kitchen table. They all stared at me as I slammed the door shut and locked the dead bolt. I know that it was a joke to do that with Ranger being the one on my heels, but it would buy me a few extra moments.

"Everybody up," I said as I waved my hands.

"What's going on, Stephanie?" Simon asked as he stood up.

"We have an issue that will be here momentarily," I said as I ushered the three drunk men through the kitchen to the back door.

"What issue?" Simon's dad asked.

"Ranger feels that he needs to know exactly what happened this morning," I said as I looked out the back door through the window. "I can't let him get you at the moment."

"That's understandable," Simon said as he shook his head. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yep," I said when I heard the Porsche pull into the driveway. "Ranger is a creature of habit. He'll walk around the trailer and try to find the best way in. That's going to be your front door since there are so many weeds back here. Once he starts working on the locks, I'll get you guys out the door. Go into the woods. Stay together. I'll find you."

I saw Ranger round the corner on the back side of the trailer. He was quick and quiet as he moved around the yard. Then, I heard the unexpected. I faintly heard the lock on the front door start to move. I swore under my breath and crept back into the living room. I stood behind the door and waited for the person on the other side to open it. I inched back as the door slowly opened and I saw a hand come in. Faster then I ever thought possible, I reached out and zapped the hand.

Lester fell through the door and landed with a loud thud. I turned into Wonder Woman and yanked him the rest of the way into the house. I slammed the door shut and locked it again. Simon appeared at my side and frowned at the man that was lying on the floor as he placed a chair against the door to brace it. We picked Lester up and sat him in one of the other kitchen chairs.

"Is someone still watching the back door?" I asked as I cuffed Lester to the chair.

"Dad is," Simon said as he used the clothes line from this morning to tie Lester up. He stood back and said, "This looks familiar."

I nudged Simon and pointed at my head. I caught his nod out of the corner of my eye as I moved to the back door where Simon's dad was. I peered out and saw Ranger circle back around the trailer as he took his cell phone out. A moment later, my cell started vibrating in my pocket.

"Yo," I said into the phone once I answered it.

"You taking hostages?" Ranger asked. I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yep," I smirked back. "I want a fueled helicopter, a million dollars, and an autographed picture of Adam West."


	3. The Escape

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading. I hope that you all enjoy this next chapter. As always... Love ya, Linda_. _And thanks to Nerdlee for a little tip._

* * *

"_Yep," I said. "I want a fueled helicopter, a million dollars, and an autographed picture of Adam West."_

"I thought that Adam West was dead," Ranger said with a chuckle.

"Nope," I said.

"I can do the first two pretty quickly. But, that last one might take some time," Ranger said with another chuckle. I sighed when I realized that I was amusing him again.

"You've got two hours," I said and then slapped my phone shut.

I had to smile when I saw a stunned Ranger look down at his phone from my post at the door. I just hung up on him. I guess he wasn't use to it. I turned from the door and looked at the three drunk men that were standing behind me.

"You should have demanded more beer," Simon said as he smiled at me. He was getting into my little game.

"If you do as I say, then I promise to get you more beer as soon as possible," I said as I motioned the guys back to the kitchen.

I froze when I saw Lester still slumped over in the chair. I slowly turned my head and looked over at Simon's dad and brother. They looked like they were so proud of themselves. I gave them a big grin and I thought about kissing both of them. That thought only lasted for a moment because I quickly realized how much shit we had just gotten ourselves into.

"It was his idea," Simon's brother said as he pointed at their dad when he noticed that I paled slightly.

"I'm not taking the blame for this one," their dad said as he put up his hands defensively. "I didn't touch a hair on that kid's head."

I looked from one man to the other very closely. I found all of the evidence that I needed after a few seconds of intense inspection. I stepped forward and pulled a clump of blonde hair off of Simon's brother's shirt.

"You are a dead man," Simon whispered to his brother.

"We're all dead if we don't get out of here," I said as I moved to the window in the living room. "It's only a matter of time before Ranger gets backup out here. He's determined to find out what happened this morning."

"Steph is right," Simon's dad said. "We need a plan to get out of here."

"I thought that we had one," Simon said. "I thought that we were going to run out the back door and hide in the woods until Steph came to get us."

"That's still part of the plan," I said as I watched Ranger through the window. He was pacing around as he talked on his phone. Probably gathering forces. "I just need to get Ranger to the front of the house."

"What about Baldy?" Simon asked as he pointed at Lester. He was going to freak out when he woke up. He loved his hair almost as much as he loved his motorcycle. And that said a lot. His Harley was his baby.

"Lester is dead weight," I said as I moved over to him. "But, we should have a little fun first."

I bent down behind Lester and picked up a bunch of the blonde hair that was laying on the floor. Once I felt that I had enough balled up in my hand, I moved to one of the living room windows that was on the back side of the house where Ranger was still standing. I pulled the blinds up and gave Ranger a smile and a finger wave. I took a very deep breath as I quickly unlocked the window and lefted in a few inches. Simon and I watched Ranger's blank face slip away when a smile appeared across his lips as he watched me release Lester's hair into the light breeze. I slammmed the window shut and locked it back up when Ranger took a step towards the window.

"When I tell you to, run out the back door," I said as I pulled the blinds shut.

"We got it, Steph," Simon said as he ushered his dad and brother towards the back door.

I popped open the front door and heard Ranger start to run around the side of the trailer towards me. I looked over my shoulder and said 'go' before I slipped out the front door. I caught sight of Ranger as I sprinted in the direction of my Tracker. He fell for my manuever and veered away from me in hopes of heading me off. He ended up being further away as I switched directions and headed towards the woods. I could hear him swear when he saw me change my course.

I disappeared into the woods and ran about a hundred feet back before I turned right. I could hear Ranger back in the distance swearing as he shouted for me. I smiled as I turned to the right again to head back around to where the Diggery's were suppose to be.

A minute later I slowed my running when I heard shouting. I veered further into the woods and crept up on a very bad sight. Tank, Bobby, and Cal had caught the Diggery's. I found a decent hiding place behind some bushes and got my breathing under control as I listened to Simon's brother tell Tank what had occurred in their kitchen this morning. Bobby was doubled over with laughter and Cal just stood there and shook his head sadly.

_Shit!_

I sat there and watched Tank release the guys and tell them to go back to the trailer and let Lester go. Well, at least I wasn't the only one bald now. That was a little comforting.

"Ranger?" Tank shouted.

"Yo!" Ranger shouted from somewhere over to my right.

"We got our intel," Tank shouted towards Ranger's location.

"Head out!" Ranger shouted back.

"Ten-four!" Tank shouted and then ushered the guys back towards the Diggery's.

"Babe!" Ranger shouted a couple of minutes later. "I know that you are still out here!"

I decided to stay silent. It might be the only way that I could get out of here without him finding me first. I crept further to my left in the direction on the street that the Diggery's trailer sat on. I could here traffic, so I knew that I couldn't be that far away.

"The guys already know," Ranger shouted. He sounded closer. "They'll just tell me once I get out of here."

I kept walking towards the road. I didn't want to see his face when he found out how stupid I had been. It was definitely not a proud moment for me. I wanted Ranger to always be proud of me and I knew that what I had done this morning would be beyond disappointing for him.

I had almost made it to the road when two arms came around my waist. I jumped slightly, but I knew that it was just Ranger. He tightened his grip around my waist when I tried to get free.

"Why are you still running from me?" Ranger whispered in my ear.

I froze at the tone of his voice. He sounded concerned and hurt. Those were two things that I wasn't use to hearing in his voice. I let him turn me around in his arms, but I couldn't look up at him.

"What's wrong?" Ranger asked quietly as he placed a finger under my chin and tilted my head up.

I looked up at him through blurry eyes. I really am a disappointment.

"You've never disappointed me, Babe," Ranger said as he tucked a curl behind my ear.

"You don't know what happened this morning," I whispered as I blinked to clear my eyes. I let the tears fall down my cheeks unchecked.

"Is it so bad that you can't tell me?" he whispered as he cupped my face, using his thumbs to wipe away my tears. "I thought that you could tell me anything."

Those words hurt more then the thought of disappointing him. I thought that I could tell him anything. But, I just couldn't bring myself to tell him how stupid I had been. I wrapped my arms around my chest and took a step back from him. The look on his face brought more tears to my eyes. He was already disappointed in me.

I turned around and ran for all that I was worth. I ran passed the Bronco, that was still idling next to Ranger's Porsche, without looking over. I jumped into my Tracker and was kicking up gravel in seconds as I peeled out of Simon's driveway. I had to get far way from there.

I switched myself onto autopilot as I drove back towards Trenton. I wasn't really sure where I was going, I just knew that anywhere was better then where I had just been. The look on Ranger's face was burned into my mind. I couldn't erase the look that he had given me. The look had been a mixture of disappointment and something that I had never seen before. I couldn't even figure out what it had been. It almost looked like he felt broken, or lost.

I looked out my window when I realized that I was no longer driving anywhere. I recognized the shabby row house and smiled. I should have known that I would end up here. This was the one place that I knew I could just be me and no one would ever judge me.

I got out of my Tracker and walked up to the front door. I walked right in, like I had so many times before. I plopped myself down on the couch in the living room and threw my feet up on the coffee table. The long, lean arm that came around my shoulders was comforting. I leaned into the warm chest that was next to me as I slipped my arm between the couch and his back.

"Bad day?" he asked after he dropped a kiss on my bald head.

"You have no clue, Dougie."


	4. The Couch

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

_A/N: You already know what I'm going to say, so I don't even need to say it._

* * *

I woke up wrapped around Dougie, he had managed to get us laying down on the couch. The blanket that was now covering us had been thrown over the back of the couch when I got here. I tilted my head up slightly and saw Mooner sitting on the other couch. He looked over at me and winked as he shot me a brilliant smile. His hazel eyes were a little blood shot and his dirty blonde hair was a mess, so I knew he was higher then a kite. There really was no other way for Mooner.

I felt Dougie's muscles ripple under me as he stretched out. I looked a little further up and smiled up at him lazily. I was really comfortable and I didn't want to move any more than I had to. It was a little strange to wake up half on top of one of my childhood friends. But, at the same time, it was comforting to know that I had the two of them. Even if I had picked them both up numerous times for going FTA. They could never seem to remember their court dates.

"I like it," Dougie said when his hand came up and rubbed my bald head.

"I think that you and I might be the only ones," I said quietly as I snuggled deeper into him.

"I like it, too," Mooner said from his couch. "It's different. But, still you at the same time."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You've never been one to conform to the Burg, Steph," Mooner explained. "You've proved that over and over again."

"Dude," Dougie agreed as he reached out and did a fist bump with Mooner. "You left Dickie after he cheated on you with Joyce when most Burg wives would have just looked the other way. You became a kick ass bounty hunter and proved to everyone that you could do it. Then, instead of settling down and turning into the Burg with Joe, you chose to stick to being true to yourself and kept going the way that you want to go."

"Some bounty hunter I am," I said, sounding a bit disgruntled. "A skip shaved my head this morning."

"I still can't believe that Simon did that to you," Mooner said. He actually sounded pissed off. I had never heard him sound angry once in my life.

"F.Y.I… It wasn't Simon," I said as I looked over at Mooner. "It was his brother and his dad."

"How'd they do it?" Dougie asked as he continued to lightly run his fingers across my head.

I let out a long sigh and told them the events of the morning. They silently listened to me tell my story of going to get Diggery and making my two very stupid mistakes. But, I didn't stop there. I told them about shooting up Joyce's Jeep and what happened when I went back to Simon's.

"No wonder you needed a nap," Dougie finally said after I had fell silent. "You had quite a day."

"You were the one that blew up Joyce's Jeep?" Mooner asked as he leaned forward. His face held a mixture of awe and excitement.

"Yeah," I said as I smiled at Mooner. "And as a reward, I think that you should go get pizza and beer."

"Great idea, Steph," Mooner said as he jumped up off the couch. "I'll be back."

I was stunned at how quickly Mooner had managed to get his shoes on and head out the door. He usually took at least twenty minutes to get out the door. I heard him open the front door and stop. Dougie grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and muted the TV.

"Dude?" Dougie called out.

"There's a big white guy leaning against a black Bronco across the street," Mooner called back.

"I need more then that," I called out. "Hair color? Distinguishing features?"

"Skull tattoo on his forehead," Mooner called back. "He looks kind of scary, Dudette."

"That's just Cal," I called out. "He's harmless. Most of the time."

"Should I get pizza for him, too?" Mooner asked.

"Probably," I called back.

I snuggled back into Dougie when I heard the door close. I let out a small giggle when I heard the lock tumble in the door. I guess Mooner didn't know that a lock wouldn't stop Cal from getting in here if he really wanted to come in. Dougie turned the volume back up on the TV and we settled in to watch a hockey game that was already on. The Redwings were spanking the Penguins hard.

I was about to drift off to sleep when Dougie shifted under me. I looked up at him and frowned. My pillow was moving and I found it pretty inconvenient if I was going back to sleep. "Why do you keep moving?"

"I need to hit the head," he said with a sheepish grin.

I shifted slightly and he wiggled out from under me. I flopped face down after he got off of the couch and headed up the stairs. Moments later I heard the unmistakable sound of a man peeing. Leave it to Dougie not to shut the door. It was disturbing, but at the same time, it gave me the sense that he was completely comfortable with me being here. Moments later, I felt myself being rolled to the edge of the couch as Dougie slipped back under the blanket in between me and the back of the couch. I snuggled back into him and rested my head on his firm bicep as his arms came around me. He wiggled around for a moment and trapped my left leg between his legs before he finally settled down.

"Better?" I asked.

"Much better," he said with a light chuckle.

As we were lying on the couch, I had a momentary flash of lazy Sunday mornings. Curled up on this couch watching TV under the same blanket. I unconsciously started running my fingers along his side as I let my mind wander. I buried my face in his chest and caught a hint of Old Spice. That was my favorite cologne. My mind continued to wander about how things could be with him.

_You can't seriously be thinking about Dougie this way,_ Smart Stephanie hissed. _The man is a stoner with no ambition._

_But, he's cute. He makes us laugh. He doesn't judge us. He has an incredible body that includes an eight pack of abs and what feels like at least nine inches pressed to our thigh, _Stupid Stephanie commented. _He could be just what we are missing. _

Ohmygod! I think that the nine inches might be growing! I tilted my head back and looked up at Dougie. His eyes were closed and there was a half smile curled across his full lips. It was only then that I actually realized that my mindless hand had worked its way under his shirt and had started scraping my nails across his narrow right hip. He let out a strangled moan as he shifted his weight and grinded against my thigh.

_Oh boy. _Smart Stephanie sighed.

_Oh Boy! _Stupid Stephanie shouted.

Before I had the chance to get myself into any more trouble, I heard the lock tumble and Mooner burst through the door. I was so startled by his actual entrance to the room that I had fallen off the couch. Mooner stopped in his tracks and looked down at me. He tilted his head to the side and frowned at me before he turned and looked over at Dougie. Some silent communication transpired and I silently cursed both of them as I pulled myself up off the floor. What is it with men and ESP? Is there a special class that they take at school while us girls had to take home economics?

I grabbed the twelve pack of Bud out of Mooner's hands and took it to the kitchen. I grabbed three bottles from the case before I stored it in the fridge. I was slightly stunned by the contents in the fridge. There was a bottle of ketchup, a loaf of wheat bread, a package of cheese, a half full gallon of milk, a twelve pack of Pepsi, and a Grafix Bong. I smiled at the court jester that was smiling at me from the front of the bong.

_He keeps a bong in his fridge, _Smart Stephanie said quietly in the back of my mind.

_Smoother hits, _Stupid Stephanie chimed in. _There is a reason for their madness. You just have to think outside of the box sometimes._

I was starting to go along with stupid Stephanie on this one. The weed thing really didn't bother me all that much. It was such a small thing to have to put up with. After all, it's not like he shooting up heroine. It's just weed.

_Weed is a gateway drug,_ Smart Stephanie said.

_The gate must not open all of the way, _Stupid Stephanie said. _They've been smoking weed for longer then we can remember and they aren't crack addicts yet. I think that they might be the exception to the rule._

Man, Stupid Stephanie is on a roll today. She has more good points then Smart Stephanie does. Maybe they should switch names? Maybe I've been labeling them wrong this whole time?

_Over my dead body_, Smart Stephanie hissed.

I rolled my eyes at the voice in my head and shut the fridge door after I grabbed a Pepsi. The guys were probably starting to wonder if I got lost. I saw a stack of paper plates and napkins and grabbed several.

_What! _Smart Stephanie shouted. _They don't even have actual plates?_

_Be more aware of your surroundings, _Stupid Stephanie said. _There's a pile of dirty dishes in the sink._

_Guess I missed those while I was looking at the paraphernalia in the fridge_, Smart Stephanie quipped.

I chose to ignore that last comment and walked out of the kitchen, passed the pool table that sat in the dining room, and into the living room. I dropped the paper plates, napkins, and beers on the table. After stuffing the Pepsi in one of the pockets in my cargos, I snagged two pieces of veggie loaded pizza and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Dougie asked.

"Cal's still outside," I said as I smiled at him over my shoulder. "I'm sure that he's probably hungry, too."

I chuckled when I got to the door and heard Mooner say, "Dude, she's like, the greatest, huh?"

I didn't hear Dougie's response because I was already out the door. I walked down the deteriorating brick path towards the street. I smiled and waved at Cal as I made my way across the street. He just gave me a raised eyebrow.

"Thought that you might be hungry," I said as I handed him the plate of pizza and the soda from my pocket. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing," Cal said around a mouthful of pizza.

"Why are you here?" I asked, trying again. "I don't have any stalkers after me."

"Ranger was worried."

"Well, you can go home now," I said with a huff. I didn't really care for a bodyguard if I wasn't technically in danger. At least not from any psychos. I'd have to rely on Mooner and Dougie to protect me from myself for the night. "I promise not to do anything stupid, like work, for the rest of the night."

"Steph-"

"Don't," I interrupted as I held my hand up and looked down at my shoes. I really didn't need to see the disappointment that I knew was written all over his face. "I don't need a lecture about this morning. I'm the one paying the price for it now. I know that you guys are disappointed in me. I'll add your names to the list. I'll put _you_ right under Ranger."

"Ranger isn't disappointed," Cal said quietly.

I looked Cal straight in the eye. The down side to this move was that I didn't really know Cal all that well. I had no way of knowing if he was telling me the truth. I finally dropped my hand and stared at him for a moment. How on earth could I have not disappointed Ranger? I set myself up to get stunned without even thinking about it. I had pulled a Hal. Thank God the Diggery's don't have any surveillance cameras at their house. That would be an even bigger nightmare.

"I'm not disappointed in you either, Bomber," Cal said finally breaking the silence that had fallen between us. He had sat down his plate and soda during my short tirade, so taking his free hands, he cupped my face and forced me to look into his eyes closely. I could feel his breath on my face as he spoke. "I love you for crying out loud. You could never do anything to disappoint me. I will not stand here and let you continue to think that you could ever have the ability to let me down. I think of you like a little sister. I smile every time that I see you. I can't remember the last time that I've been happy in my life. But, I have been ever since you walked into it."

"You guys all laugh at me," I whispered, trying to disprove his words.

"I've never laughed at you," Cal chided. "I'd never do that to you."

"I saw you in the woods," I whispered, trying to disprove him again. "You were standing there shaking your head when Simon's brother told you guys what happened."

"I was shaking my head because I was disappointed that I wasn't going to beat anyone up," Cal explained. "Bobby had gotten me whipped up in a frenzy with a bunch of 'What if' scenarios. I was dying to get my hands on them."

That was all that I had. I looked up at the large, slightly scary, man that held my face. I could tell that he was being serious, but I still had a few lingering doubts. He had never so much as said more than a half a dozen words to me at one time. Now, he seemed to be spilling out thoughts that he had kept built up inside for a while.

I was about to open my mouth to thank Cal when I heard a throat being cleared from just behind me. Cal released my face and stood up straight as he looked over my head. I could swear that he glared before he pulled on his blank face. I looked over my shoulder and smiled when I saw Dougie standing in the middle of the street. I gave him the universal 'one minute' sign before I turned back to Cal.

"Thank you," I whispered as I wrapped my arms around Cal's waist.

He hesitated for a moment before he brought his arms around me. "I'm always here."

"I know," I said as I pulled back and smiled up at him.

Cal dropped a light kiss on my forehead before he released me. I turned around and caught the death glare that Dougie was shooting Cal. I slipped my arm around Dougie's waist as I walked by and guided him back into the house. He was still brooding when I pushed him back down on the couch.

"Dude?" Mooner inquired.

"He was going to kiss her," Dougie said to Mooner as he pointed at me.

"Who?" I asked. "Cause I know that you aren't talking about Cal."

"He was, like, two inches from kissing you," Dougie growled as he turned and looked at me.

"Have you not gotten stoned in a while?" I asked as I tilted my head and looked down at him. I looked over at Mooner and said, "He needs to get high."

"I'm down with that," Mooner said as he jumped up and headed to the kitchen.

I sat down on the couch next to Dougie and grabbed a slice of pizza. I heard him start to mumble when I took my first bite, so I looked over at him. He was giving the coffee table a death glare that would have been the pride of any Jersey girl. I couldn't catch most of what he was saying. It was broken up with huffs and silent lip movements. I only caught a few 'fuck's and an 'asshole' or two. I turned on the couch so that I was facing him in hopes that I might be able to understand what he was saying.

"What?" I asked when he finally looked over at me.

"I can't believe that that fucking asshole was going to fucking kiss you with me fucking standing right there," Dougie growled as he frowned at me.

"Did I miss something?" I asked. I searched my mind trying to see if I had missed something over the last hour or so. I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head.

Without any warning, I found myself pinned to the couch by Dougie's perfectly sculpted, lean body. His right arm was around my waist, his left hand was wrapped around the back of my neck. It would have been uncomfortable if it wouldn't have been for his tongue gently gliding over mine. My hormones kicked in before my brain did and my hands ended up tangled in his silky, jet black hair. Two months of no sex can do that. A soft moan escaped my throat when I felt his erection press against my thigh.

_Whoopee! _Stupid Stephanie shouted.


	5. The Trip

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. _I Will Buy You a New Life_ by Everclear.

_A/N: Thanks a million to Linda. _

* * *

Raging hormones? Check. Willing partner? Check. Then why do I still have clothes on? Shit! Mooner. Dougie stilled when he felt me tense at the thought of Mooner walking in while we were this close to doing the horizontal mambo on the living room couch. He pulled back quickly and sat up. 

"I'm really sorry, Steph," Dougie whispered as he resumed glaring at the coffee table.

I was momentarily stunned be the lack of a very yummy body hovering over me. I sat up and unconsciously ran my fingers over my head. Huh. Another plus to not having any hair. No bad hair moments. I looked over at Dougie and reached out to take his hand. He looked over at me as our fingers laced together.

"Mooner," I explained as I pointed at the kitchen door.

As if on cue, Mooner walked through the door, bong in hand. He walked up to the back of the couch and smiled down at us. His smile grew to a large, shit eating grin when he caught sight of our interlaced fingers. With lightening speed, Dougie reached back and punched Mooner in the gut. I giggled as Mooner doubled over and coughed a few times.

"Let's smoke out back," Dougie said as he released my hand and stood up.

"Sure," Mooner said after one last cough. "I could use some fresh air."

I watched the guys disappear through the door to the kitchen before I turned back around. I grabbed the piece of pizza that I had dropped on the floor and deposited it on a napkin. The ten second rule had lapsed. Not that I would, even if it had been less then ten seconds. After all, I didn't know where Mooner and Dougie, or any of their friends, had walked lately. I grabbed another piece of pizza and the remote and channel surfed while the guys were doing their thing.

I was completely engrossed in a show on female serial killers when Dougie sat back down next to me. It wasn't everyday that I got to hear about women running around killing people. I was totally fascinated by the stories of these women.

"Getting pointers?" Dougie asked.

"It's not everyday that I hear about stuff like this," I said as I smiled up at him.

Mooner was just about to reclaim his seat when his cell phone started ringing. He fished it out of his pocket and answered it as he stood in front of the couch. He said 'Dude' about six times, each with a different tone of voice, before he hung up.

"Dude," Mooner said as he looked down at us. "I'm gonna do this thing and then we can head out."

"Cool," Dougie said with a nod.

I watched Mooner disappear down the hall and then turned back to Dougie. I looked at him expectantly for a moment. He just smiled down at me. I waited for about two minutes before I finally gave up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Duh," Dougie said as he smacked his head. "You weren't out back when we decided to take you to Atlantic City."

"Huh?" I asked dumbly.

"The three of us are going to Atlantic City to cheer you up," Dougie said as he jumped up off the couch. "Just for the night. We'll swing by and pick up some clothes for you on the way out."

"Are you serious?" I asked as I eyed him.

"Yes," he said as he pulled me up off of the couch.

I didn't put up a fight as he pushed me up the stairs towards his bedroom. I tried to muster up a glare when he pushed me down on his bed, but he had turned his back to me and bent over as he searched through the bottom of his closet. Yummy! That man has one hell of a great ass. I was thinking about sinking my teeth into it when he abruptly turned around and gave me a wolfish grin. Did I moan?

"Yes," he laughed as he walked over and climbed on top of me.

It wasn't exactly a hardship to have such a beautiful man on top of me. It was just slightly frustrating that he was pinning my legs down to the bed. Just a little bit of rubbing would have gone a long way at this point. I smiled up at him as he lowered his head down to mine.

A small moan escaped me when his tongue came out and lightly traced my lips. I ran my hands slowly up his flat stomach, up over his broad muscular shoulders, and came to a rest at the back of his neck. His tongue was still teasing my lips and I nipped at him in frustration. I felt his chest rumble with laughter as his lips softly touched mine.

"Calm down, Baby," he whispered against my lips.

"I don't think that I can," I whispered back.

"Then we should stop. Fifteen minutes isn't long enough," he whispered, his lips brushing against mine.

Of course he was right, so I released his neck with an overly dramatic, loud sigh. That earned me a full out, head titled back, laugh from Dougie as he climbed off of me and the bed. I sat up and watched him throw clothes in a duffle bag. Once he felt that he had everything that he needed, he picked me up off his bed and threw me over his shoulder as he walked to Mooner's room.

I decided after a moment that being a rag doll had its benefits. I had a perfect ass in mouth distance and I wasted no time taking full advantage of that. I brought my hands up to the waist of his jeans, and with minimal effort, had them tugged down just enough to have his perfect naked cheeks at eye level. I licked my lips in anticipation. They were too perfect and instantly set my mouth watering.

"Holy hell," Dougie swore softly when I ran my tongue across his right butt cheek.

I grabbed his hips as I started softly peppering both cheeks with kisses and licks. I welcomed the moan that came from my throat when I sank my teeth into his left butt cheek. I heard the duffle bag land on the floor, the thud echoed through the hall. My hands ran down his narrow hips, pushing his jeans down as they went. I continued my assault on his beautiful ass as my hands traveled back up his thighs, moving ever so slowly to the front on their journey.

"Jesus, Baby," he groaned as my hands came around his fully erect penis.

My hormones raged into overdrive as my hands went blindly to work. His breathing quickly became labored as the fingers on his right hand dug into my thigh as he held onto me. I altered the speed of my right hand between fast and slow as my left hand lightly massaged his balls.

I felt him sink his teeth into my thigh as he let out a strangled moan and knew that he was close. I sped up the pace of my right hand bringing him closer to the edge. When I felt his muscles start to contract, I sunk my teeth into his left butt cheek. He shouted my name as I drove him over the edge.

Dougie slowly lowered himself down to his knees as he pulled me back over his shoulder. Our lips met in a fierce kiss, tongues at war with each other. His breathing was still slightly labored when I broke the kiss and smiled up at him from my new position, straddling his lap. He brought his forehead down and rested it against mine as he closed his eyes.

"That was the hottest thing I've ever experienced," Dougie whispered, finally breaking the silence as his hands came up and cupped my face. "You are amazing."

I smiled at the compliment and lightly kissed his lips as my hands captured his lean face. His slightly blood shot, but perfectly blue, eyes held a dazed look that let me know that his release had been supreme. He shook his head in an effort to clear away the haze and gave me a sheepish grin.

"You may want to change your pants when we get to your place," Dougie whispered. "I'm afraid that I got all over you."

"Eeeeew," I said with a laugh.

He gave me one more deep kiss before he released me. We stood in the hall for a moment, looking around for evidence that something kinky had transpired. I looked back over at Dougie as he finished pulling his pants up and shrugged. I hadn't found anything other then a small wet spot on the side of my pant leg. I knew that there had to be more than that, but I couldn't find anything.

Dougie pulled me to the side and looked down the hall. We both stood there, searching, and came up empty handed again. He turned to me and shrugged before he pulled me into Mooner's bedroom. We still had to gather up some clothes for him for our little trip. I grabbed boxers and socks out of his dresser as Dougie grabbed jeans and a t-shirt out of the closet.

Dougie had gone out into the hall to go to the bathroom when I heard him let out a slew of expletives. I couldn't hold in the laugh when I had stuck my head out of Mooner's room. Dougie was about half way down the hall, exactly were I had assaulted him, looking up at the ceiling. There, dripping down from the ceiling, was the part of Dougie that had gotten away. Dougie turned around, and I saw a large glob that had fallen and landed on his chest.

"This isn't funny," Dougie growled as he pulled his shirt off. "This is my favorite shirt."

"It'll wash," I assured him as I watched him use his shirt to wipe off the ceiling.

"Are we ready?" Mooner shouted from down stairs as he ran in.

"Almost," Dougie said as he disappeared into his room for a fresh shirt.

I grabbed the duffle bag and followed Dougie into his room. I threw the stuff that he had dropped on his bed into the bag and zipped it up. I turned around and caught sight of his amazingly chiseled torso. Every muscle was lean and firm and absolutely perfect. If only I had an hour or two, I thought wistfully.

"Let's hit the road, Baby," Dougie said as he turned around and put his shirt back on.

He smiled down at me when he caught my dreamy look. I slipped my hand into the one that he had held out for me and we headed down the stairs. Mooner was rolling a few joints in the living room, so I took the duffle bag from Dougie and headed out to my Tracker. I waved at Cal as I threw the bag in the back of my little SUV.

"What's going on?" Cal asked as he walked across the street.

"When are you off duty?" I asked as I shut the back door and leaned against it.

"Thirty minutes," he said after he looked down at his watch.

"Is there a replacement?"

"Hal."

"Perfect," I said as I smiled up at him. "Tell Hal to pack an overnight bag, and we'll meet him at RangeMan."

"Going for a little trip?" Cal asked as he eyed me warily.

"Just an overnighter in Atlantic City," I said with a big smile. "Dougie and Mooner thought that it would be a great way to end a disaterous day for me."

Cal eyed me for a moment before he pulled his phone out to call RangeMan. I listened to his side of the conversation and knew that Hal was stoked to go for a little trip. Mooner and Dougie finally wandered out as Cal hung up his phone. We were getting into the Tracker when Cal grabbed my arm and pulled me to the back of my vehicle.

"Please," Cal pleaded. "Don't do anything stupid tonight."

"Well great!" I shouted as I threw my hands up. "You just jinxed me!"

"Bomber," Cal said with a laugh.

"Danger finds me, Cal," I said as I sent him a brooding look. "I'm not the one that goes looking for it."

"Just try not to harm Hal," Cal said as he pushed me back towards the driver's door.

"I've never harmed any of you guys," I huffed. "It's not my fault that you guys are often in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I'll remind Tank of that the next time he lands in the hospital," Cal said with another laugh as he pushed me in the Tracker and shut the door.

We cruised through the Burg and stopped off at my apartment. I changed into a pair of low rider jeans and a stretchy black t-shirt after I threw a bag together. After dropping a few carrots into Rex's dish, I headed out and locked up. I was surprised when I came running out of my apartment building to find Dougie and Mooner still getting high. It must have been a miracle.

"Ten minutes," Dougie said after a quick glance at his watch. "That's a new record."

I sent him a glare as I climbed behind the wheel. The glare was met by chuckles from Dougie and Mooner. Asses! I started up the car and riffled through the CDs that were in my visor. I finally pulled out a CD and ejected Justin Timberlake from my CD player. I'm sure that Justin would understand that I needed something a little harder for this trip. I slid the new CD in as the guys climbed in.

I rolled down my window as I skipped through the CD to the fifth song. I had to smile when I saw Mooner start to bob his head with the music as Art Alexakis' voice came over the speakers. I cruised through the streets and pulled up in front of the RangeMan office with Dougie and Mooner singing along with the music. I grinned at Dougie when he grabbed my hand and sang to me.

_I know all about that other guy._

_The handsome man with athletic thighs._

_I know about all the time before,_

_With that obsessive little rich boy._

_They might make you think you're happy_

_Yeah, maybe for a minute or two_

_They can't make you laugh_

_No they can't make you feel the way that I do._

_I will buy you a garden, where your flowers can bloom._

_I will buy you a new car, perfect shiny and new._

_I will buy you that big house, way up in the west hills._

_I will buy you a new life._

I couldn't look away from him. All the words that had just flowed from his mouth, in perfect tune with the song, had struck something deep inside. The man that sat in front of me knew all of my baggage. He knew all about my disastrous relationship with Joe and the 'thing' that I had had with Ranger. Yet, he was still willing to buy me a new life. One that centered around him?

My question was answered when he leaned over and captured my lips with his. The kiss was filled with a promise. A promise that he would be there for me no matter what. With, or without, hair. With, or without, the stalkers. With, or without, the craziness of my life. But, it would always be filled with the love that he was pouring into the kiss. There was a feeling of desperation under the surface of the kiss that I felt compelled to return as I fisted my hands in his hair.

"Dude!" Mooner called from outside the Tracker. "Get a room!"

I broke the kiss and glared out the back window at Mooner. He smiled at me before he turned around and started talking to Hal. I guess everyone was assembled for our little trip. I caught Hal's eye and gave him a little wave.

"You done making out so that we can hit the road?" Hal asked when he came up to Dougie's window.

"Sure," I said as I released Dougie and settled back down in my seat. "Let's head out."


	6. The 'What The'

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. The song is _Endless_ by Dave Gahan. He just released _Hourglass._ Go out and buy it right now. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

_A/N: A big thank you goes to Linda. thanks for reading my story over and over again and not reaching through the computer to strangle me. _

* * *

Two hours later, I found myself sitting at a Black Jack table on the main casino floor in Bally's. Dougie was seated at my right and Hal was on my left. Evidently, Hal hadn't been impressed with the job of babysitting three adults in Atlantic City and forced Junior to come along. Not that I can really blame him. Dougie and Mooner can be a handful. I guess that's why Hal had told Junior to not let Mooner out of his sight. They were at a poker table about fifty feet away laughing up a storm. 

Black Jack got boring pretty quick, plus Dougie was the only one winning, so we decided to walk around for a bit. We all grabbed drinks from one of the bars and set out to find something that could capture our attention. I tried to talk the guys into going and seeing an Elvis impersonator, but they both ganged up on me and pushed me past the lounge that had boasted the return of 'The King'.

I was about to give up hope on finding something cool for the three of us to do when Dougie stopped in front of the hotel chapel. I looked from the chapel to Dougie warily. My first marriage had been a disaster. People in the Burg still compare everyone else's divorce to mine. It had been a knock down, drag out fight for everything that we had accrued over the nine months of our marriage. By the end, I was just happy to walk away without his last name.

"You can't be serious," Hal said, a little panicked. "You can't do this with me on duty. Besides, you're both drunk. They won't let you get married if you're drunk."

"We aren't drunk, Hal. Nether one of us has even finished our beers. If you are really that concerned, then call the control room and tell them that you lost us," Dougie said as he tugged on my hand. "Come on, Baby."

Everything happened so fast that I couldn't blink for fear that I would miss something. A twenty-something Marilyn Monroe impersonator helped us fill out the paper work for the marriage license. Five minutes later, Mooner and Junior walked into the chapel just in time to hear Elvis say, "You may kiss the bride."

I heard Mooner shout 'DUDE!' as our lips met. I let Dougie sweep me away with the kiss. Let the rest of the world be damned! I thought to myself. It's my life and this is what I want. At the moment. Shit! My mom is going to kill me. I can hear it now. So and so's daughter never runs off and elopes at Bally's. Double damn!

Dougie broke the kiss and smiled down at me. I couldn't help but smile back. His happiness had always been infectious. He pulled my left hand up and kissed the plain gold band that now rested there.

"Now you're mine, Baby," he whispered. "I'll never let you go, and I'll never hurt you. I promise."

A calm settled inside me as I let his words wash over me. Everything felt perfect in the little chapel. I heard strange sounds come for the area that the guys were standing. I looked over and saw that Hal, Junior, and Mooner all had their phones out, taking pictures of us. I smiled over at Hal and he took one more picture.

"That one was perfect," Hal said as he started hitting buttons on his phone. "Cal is going to freak that he missed this."

"I'm more concerned with the fact that we are both going to be pulling nights in the control room for the next month once Ranger finds out," Junior said, smiling the whole time as he hit buttons on his phone.

"That's nothing compared to the screaming that Steph is going to get when we get home tomorrow," Mooner said as he worked on his own phone. "Have you ever seen Steph's mom freak out?"

Hal and Junior stopped messing with their phones and looked over at Mooner. I felt Dougie start to shake next to me with silent laughter as Hal and Junior looked over at each other and then physically shuddered.

"I think that we should definitely find a room now," Dougie whispered in my ear. "I wanna make love to my wife."

I felt my heart rate pick up a little as a wave of desire rushed straight to my doodah. I smiled up at Dougie as I pulled him out of the chapel. We headed over to the main lobby of the hotel and got rooms for the night. Hal was standing a little bit back, keeping an eye on me while Dougie ran out to my Tracker to grab our bags as I got us registered at the front desk. I could hear him talking on his phone, but I couldn't catch all of the words. It wasn't until I turned from the front desk that I caught anything.

"What was I suppose to do?" Hal hissed into his phone. "She's an adult… I wouldn't have done that to her even if you paid me hazard pay… It's none of our business, Ranger… Last time I checked, she didn't belong to you… This is a conversation that you need to have with her. Not me… Yeah… I'll see you in the morning."

Hal looked up at me when he closed his phone. He walked over and gave me a fierce hug while he whispered a congratulations in my ear as I handed him a key to a room that I had gotten for the three of them. Hal did a complicated hand thing with Dougie when he showed up at my side before heading off to the bar that Junior and Mooner were sitting at. I kept my eyes on them while we walked over to the elevator, noting that Mooner had a bag resting at his feet. As we walked onto the elevator, all three guys turned around and lifted their drinks to us. It was a touching sight, and I felt a lot better about what I had just done.

"Everything is going to be okay, Baby," Dougie said as he wrapped his arms around me. "We'll just go day by day and face things head on together."

"I know," I said quietly as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

I pulled my phone out when it started ringing as we stepped off the elevator. My mother. I hit the end button to send the call to my voice mail and then shut off my phone. This wasn't the time for arguments. Dougie smiled down at me as he took the key from my hand and opened the door to our room. He dropped the bags on the floor just inside the door as he pulled me into the room.

The rest of the world dropped away when his lips met mine as he shut the door and threw the top dead bolt. His strong arms came around my waist and he lifted me up. I wrapped myself around him as he carried me over to the bed. We fell to the bed tangled up in each other.

"I want you to want me as badly as I want you," Dougie whispered after he broke the kiss, his lips feather light across mine. "Will you let me show my wife how much I've always loved her?"

I nodded as the words started to set in. He had never shown a hint of anything other then friendship towards me. Why had he never told me how he felt? Mental head slap! Joe and Ranger.

All thoughts were quickly wiped from my mind as he lips came down to mine once again. I gasped as his lips left mine and found the tender spot just below my ear. I cried out as I felt him suck my skin into his mouth, marking me as his. I ran my hands up his back, pulling his shirt up along the way. I needed to feel his skin against mine. He gave me a wolfish grin when he released my neck to remove his shirt. I reached up and scraped my nails down his chest and abs when he sat back. He took my hand in his and pulled me up into a sitting position.

"Let me," Dougie said quietly when he caught my wrist and pulled it away from the bottom of my shirt.

I smiled and nodded. His face lit up, like a little kid opening a Christmas present. That's actually how I felt as he slowly inched my hem of my shirt up. He kept his eyes locked on mine, only breaking contact when he pulled my shirt over my head. We fell back on the bed as our lips met, hands reaching out and seeking new flesh. His lips left mine and started trailing down my neck to my collarbone as his hands started trailing up my ribs.

"Damn," I moaned when his tongue circled one of my nipples through my black Victoria's Secret bra.

"This is a really sexy bra," he whispered as he ran his fingers over the lacey trim that ran along the top. "But, it's going to have to come off."

I wasn't about to argue as his hand slipped beneath my back and unhooked my bra. He kissed his way down my right arm as he pulled the thin strap off. He repeated the process to my left arm, stopping at my ring finger to place a light kiss on my ring. The tenderness that he was showing me struck a cord deep down inside.

He's the one.

It was the only thought in my head as I reached out for him. I needed him. More then I ever thought that I could ever need someone. He slid my pants and underwear off as I tugged at his.

This is where I want to be. With this man.

His lips traveled up my right leg, stopping briefly to lightly kiss a bruise on my knee that I had gotten the day before when I fell going after a skip. He moved further up my right leg as he lifted my left leg and draped it over his shoulder. The low, burning pool of desire that was building in my gut exploded when he ran his tongue between my lips. I spun out of control as he slipped a finger inside me, my body shaking from an earth shattering orgasm.

"That was so hot, Baby," he whispered in my ear after he crawled up my body.

He plunged into me quickly, and I thought that my eyes were going to pop out of my head. He stilled himself inside me to give me a chance to get use to the overwhelming size of him. My breath hitched in my throat when he started to move. He instantly froze and looked down at me, concern laced through his eyes.

"I'm okay," I whispered as I reached up and pushed his hair off of his forehead.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, concern in his voice as well.

I rolled us over so that I was on top and settled back on his hips, taking him further in. I rotated my hips around in a circle before I started moving. A smile played at the corners of his lips as his eyes rolled back into his head. His hands came up and captured my breasts as he started meeting me thrust for thrust. I felt the beginnings of another orgasm start to form, but I wanted to stretch out the feeling, so I slowed the pace as I lowered myself down to him.

"Don't stop," he whispered before my lips found his.

He captured my face in his hands as he drove his tongue into my mouth. I felt his muscle start to contract under my hands. I sensed the urgency in his kiss and kept with my slow pace, marveling in the feeling of him filling me completely. His lips broke away from mine and he whispered my name as he spilled into me. A warm feeling flooded through me and pushed me blissfully over the edge with him.

"More," he whispered once he got his breathing under control as he rolled us over.

He hardened instantly inside me as he started moving again. My body reacted to his and my breathing quickly became labored. His hands, constantly moving, explored my body as his tongue danced across mine. Every caress was soft and smooth. Every kiss was deep and laced with feelings. I was brought back to the edge with a fierceness that I had only felt once before.

"Your body is endless," he whispered in my ear as he drove me over the edge and into oblivion.

"What does that mean?" I asked a while later as we laid stretched out on the bed.

"What does what mean?" Dougie asked as he tilted his head towards me.

"Your body is endless. What does that mean?" I asked as I rolled over on my back to let my stomach cool off. I was a sweaty mess and in desperate need of a shower, but I had to know what he had meant.

"I got it from a song," he said as he smiled over at me. "In the cold of the full moon on this night. Time itself has slipped away. Now you are mine. Slowly the hours passed all through the night. Together we can disappear for a while. Now I am still. Forever and ever and ever. Now I am still. Forever and ever and ever. Endless. Endless. Now I am still. Endless. Endless. Your body is endless."

He rolled over and cupped the side of my face as he sang the rest of the song to me in the darkness of our room. "Watching the hourglass on that night. We touched the stars and reached the moon for a time. I'm lost in a moment with you. It feels right. We are floating above the stars. You and I. I am still. Forever and ever and ever. I am still. Forever and ever and ever. Endless. Endless. Now I am still. Endless. Endless. Your body is endless."

"That's too perfect," I whispered as I smiled up at him.

"That should be our song," he said as he trailed kisses down my neck.

"Mmmm. Who sings it?" I asked, not particularly caring.

"Dave Gahan," he whispered as he moved further down my body.

"We'll have to find it on CD," I whispered breathlessly.

"Mmmmmm," he said as he brought his mouth down lower.

The vibrations from his humming had my hands fisted in the sheets as stars formed in front of my eyes. He laid between my legs and hummed the whole song to me as he slowly ran his tongue all over me. My body exploded as an orgasm ripped through me when he bit down on my clit.

I remember his arms coming around me as he whispered 'bed time' in my ear. My body refused to disobey him and I slipped into a dreamless sleep. What seemed like seconds later, I rolled over and looked at the little clock that sat on the nightstand as someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it, Baby," Dougie said quietly as he pulled the sheet over me.

I watched him climb out of bed slowly, pull on his boxers, and walk to the door. It was truly a crime to have him covered in any clothing at this time of morning. I don't care who you are, seven in the morning is an ungodly hour to be woken up. I pulled a pillow over my head, trying to drown out the voices that were coming from the door.

"Baby?" Dougie said as he pulled the pillow off of my head. "Breakfast."

My stomach growled. I guess that settled it. I rolled out of the bed and walked straight into the shower that he had already turned on. God bless that man. I was letting the water run over my body as the memory from the chapel came into my head. Shit!


	7. Messages in the Bathroom

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

* * *

I flipped my cell phone open as Dougie climbed into the shower. Once I got into my voice messaging, I put my phone on the speaker setting and placed it on the counter. Multi-tasking is a great thing. It would probably take longer to listen to my messages then it will to get ready now.

"You have five new messages," the automated voice said.

"That's it?" I asked my phone around a mouth full of suds from my toothpaste.

"I was expecting more," Dougie said from the shower.

I rolled my eyes as I spit into the sink.

"Stephanie. This is your mother," a familiar voice shouted out of my phone.

"Duh," Dougie laughed.

"Please tell me that you didn't marry Dougie Kruper," my mother shouted. I could hear a slight slur in her speech.

"Sorry, Mom. I can't," I said to my phone.

"For crying out loud, Stephanie. The man is a drug dealer."

"I'm not a drug dealer!" Dougie shouted from the shower.

"What was wrong with Joseph?" my mother asked.

"You want a list?" I asked after I rinsed my mouth out.

"Well, I guess it's too late now," my mother said on a sigh. "Bring Dougie over for dinner Friday night. We're having pineapple upside down cake."

I was expecting a lot more from my mother before she hung up. I guess today was just my lucky day. I didn't have a chance to really think about how well my mom was taking this because the next message came up.

"Second message," the automated voice stated.

"Ohmygod! Stephanie!" Mary Lou shouted. "Did you really marry Dougie Kruper?"

"Yes!" Dougie shouted from the shower. It was getting pretty loud in the bathroom.

"I mean, geez, Steph, I didn't think that you went for the stoner type," Mary Lou said. "Although he is really hot, so I guess that one could over look the weed thing."

"I really like her," Dougie said as he stuck his head out of the shower. "You should hang out with her more often."

I rolled my eyes at him through the mirror and turned my attention back to my phone as Mary Lou continued her message.

"Anyway. You have to call me and give me all of the juicy details. I heard that you were married by Elvis! That is so cool. Your mom must be having a coronary about all of this. Call me. Bye!"

The shower turned off as Dougie climbed out. Mare was definitely right about him being hot. I watched droplets of water roll down his perfect chest. I let my eyes travel down his body and felt my tongue slip out and slide across my upper lip. I was brought out of drooling over my new wonderland by the sound of Joe's voice.

"Dougie!" Joe shouted. "Shit, Cupcake! I knew that things weren't all that great right now. But, did you have to run off to Atlantic City with the first guy that showed interest? I mean, come on, Dougie?"

"What's wrong with me?" Dougie asked as he pulled on his boxers. I shrugged as I let my eyes drift over his body one more time. I couldn't think of a single thing wrong with Dougie while he was standing in front of me almost naked.

"I really thought that we had something good, Cupcake," Joe said, his voice softening.

"We fought all the time," I said as I felt the back of my eyes start to burn. "It wasn't really all that good."

"I guess the only thing left to say is…" Joe's voice trailed off and he sighed. "Congratulations, Stephanie. Call me this weekend if you aren't busy and we'll do Pino's and a game."

I stood there gaping at my phone. Joe just congratulated me on getting married. This was just way too weird. My mom didn't freak as badly as I thought she was going to and Joe just let me go. Without a fight. I guess we weren't really all that made for each other. I felt a little sad that things had ended this way with Joe. Yeah, they were over. But, I don't think that either one of us knew that it was over over. I was startled out of my thoughts by the screeching over the phone.

"Dougie!" Lula shouted. Why was everyone shouting on my phone? "Batman is so gonna kick yo ass, Whitey!"

"Batman?" Dougie asked as his brows furrowed.

"Ranger," I said with a shrug.

"Thanks a lot for inviting Connie and me to the wedding," Lula said sarcastically. "We had a blast! You looked fantastic! Call me when you get back."

"Lula sounds a little pissed," Dougie said when we heard the sound of her slamming a phone down. "You may need to be armed with more then just donuts the next time you head in to work."

"Fifth message," the automated voice said.

I looked back down at my phone when there was only silence. Dougie picked it up and looked at it for a moment before he turned it toward me. The time was still counting, but there wasn't anyone talking. Another stalker? Not as far as I know. I pulled the phone closer to my head to try to see if I could pick up any background noise. It was at that moment, that I heard a familiar whisper come across the line.

"Babe."

I looked at my phone when the line went dead and the automated voice told me that I had no more messages. I didn't have time to analyze the message, or the sound of his voice, because my phone beeped, indicating that I had an incoming call. Tank? He never calls me. I always have to call him.

"Yo," I said as I answered the call, still on speaker.

"He's missing."

I didn't need any more information from Tank to know who he was talking about. I started tossing our stuff into the duffle bag as I grilled Tank.

"When?" I asked.

"About two hours ago."

"Did you catch anything on the cameras?" I asked as I sat down on the side of the tub to put my shoes on.

I looked over at Dougie and waved a hand at him to hurry up. He did an eye roll that would do any 'Burg Girl' proud before he walked out of the bathroom in search of his shoes.

"He turned the cameras off as he went through the building," Tank said.

"Who last spoke to him?"

The silence stretched on from the other end of the phone and I got a little queasy feeling in my stomach. I finished throwing our stuff in the bag while I waited for Tank to speak up. I was standing in the bathroom, staring down at my phone on the counter, waiting for Tank to spill what ever it was that had sent Ranger out into the world without a word to anyone.

"Tank," I said, finally breaking the silence. "What happened?"

"Ranger walked up behind Cal and Lester looking at one of the pictures that Hal had sent them. It was of you and Dougie kissing. Probably right after you said 'I do'. None of us had told him about last night," Tank said, very flatly. "We thought that it was up to you to tell him that it was finally over."

"Shit," I swore under my breath. Then a little louder, "Have you checked Shorty's?"

"Yeah," Tank said. I could hear him typing away. "We've checked all the bars in the area. There's no movement on any of his credit cards."

"What about GPS?" Dougie asked from the doorway.

"Who is that?" Tank asked, no longer typing.

"It's Dougie," I said as I looked back over at the phone on the counter.

"Am I on speaker phone?" Tank asked through gritted teeth.

I picked up the phone and took it off speaker as I put it to my head. "Not any more."

"I hate being on speaker," Tank hissed.

"The GSP?" I asked, getting Tank back on track as I stood up and grabbed the duffle bag off of the floor.

Dougie took the bag from me and steered me towards the door as I continued on with my call. I opened the door and found Hal, Junior, and Mooner standing in the hallway. Mooner didn't look all that impressed that he was out of bed before noon. Hal and Junior were standing in their parade stance, waiting for orders.

"He took off on foot," Tank finally said as I walked out into the hall. "We aren't sure where he went since he turned off the exterior cameras when he went out the main lobby doors."

I racked my brain as we walked down the hall to the elevator. I kept the phone to my ear and listened to Tank breath and type as we headed down to the lobby of the hotel. Junior and Dougie went out and rounded up the cars as I got us checked out at the front desk. I heard my stomach rumble and made a mental note to hit up a drive thru on our way back to Trenton. It wasn't until we all got outside that I had a sudden thought.

"Tank?"

"Bomber?"

"Turn on the video cameras in my apartment," I said as I opened the passenger side door to my Tracker.

"He's on your couch," Tank said after he hit several keys quickly. "Do you want me to go get him?"

"No," I said as relief rushed through me. "This is my fault. I'll take care of him."

"Call me if you need anything."

"I will," I said as I started to hang up. Tank's voice stopped me before I hit the end button.

"Bomber!"

"Yeah," I said as I stuck the phone back up to my ear.

"Congratulations," Tank said. I could hear the smile in his voice. At least that's what I thought it was. It's kind of hard to tell with Tank sometimes. "If he hurts you…"

"Thanks, Big Guy," I said with a smile before I hung up my phone.

"I never would have thought to check your place," Hal said.

I turned and looked at the guys who had all gathered behind me as I talked to Tank. Hal and Junior seemed to be a lot more relieved at the news of Ranger being found. They really shouldn't be, since they were more than likely getting shipped off to a third world country for an undetermined amount of time. But, I was a little relieved, too. Even if things were now completely over, not that they really got a chance to be, Ranger was still my friend and the thought that he might just take off without a word frightened me.

"I'm going to catch a ride back with the guys," Dougie said as he stepped closer to me. "You need to go check on Ranger. I'll be at my house when you are done."

"You can ride back with me," I said as I reached out for him.

He pulled me into his arms and smiled down at me. I guess that was the right thing to say. He brought his hand up and brushed the back of his fingers across my cheek. I caught his wrist as it started to drop away and brought his hand back up to my face. I leaned into it and kissed his palm. I just wanted the little contact. It made me feel slightly better to feel his body heat seep through my skin.

"Grab a bag from your place after you are done talking with Ranger," Dougie whispered as he leaned his head down and rested it on top of mine. "There's a lot that we need to talk about. I'll get subs from Pino's."

"That sounds like a great idea," I said as I snuggled into him to try to gather enough of his strength to get me though the next few hours.

"Let's boogie," Mooner said, reminding me that they were still standing there.

"We'll follow you to Trenton," Hal said as he started walking over to their Bronco.

"I'll never be far away, Baby," Dougie whispered to me as he tilted my head back.

Our lips met in a sweet kiss that had my toes curling. The kiss wasn't meant to get that type of reaction, but he was being so absolutely wonderful. And the kiss was as light as air. I felt like I could take on the world once our lips parted. I was starting to think that this marriage thing wasn't going to be all that bad. Dougie had a way of making me feel better then I thought I was. He always had that effect on me.

I sighed when Hal beeped the horn on the Bronco. With one last kiss, I jumped behind the wheel of my Tracker and headed back towards Trenton. Out of all the thoughts that should have been running through my head, I was relieved that the only one that stuck out was of Dougie. Last night had been incredible.

Thoughts of last night carried me all the way back to my apartment. I had a grin on my face as I climbed out of my Tracker when I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building. It stayed on my face as I climbed the stairs to the second floor. I walked into my apartment after getting it unlocked. The smile that had been glued to my face for the last two hours immediately fell when my eyes landed on the man that was sitting on my couch.

"Babe."


	8. Broken Batman

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

A/N: Thank you, Linda.

* * *

Now that I see him, I feel ten times worse than I did when I heard his voice in his message. What do you do when you find Batman broken? If the half empty bottle of Vodka in front of him was any indication, he was going to need coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. I left him sitting on my couch and moved into the kitchen. I silently got the coffee maker all set up and stood in front of it while it percolated. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the cabinets above the coffee maker. How could I have hurt my best friend like this?

_You love him and you married someone else_, Smart Stephanie shouted.

I felt myself wince at her words. They were true and cut deep into my heart.

_He never told us that he really, truly loved us back_, Stupid Stephanie shouted back._ How were we supposed to know? We don't have ESP. Besides, he had his chance. We've been off with Joe for two months. Exactly how long were we suppose to wait?_

Stupid Stephanie had a few good points. Did he think that I was going to wait forever? Well, I'm sorry. But, that just isn't an option for me. I'm a woman and I need sex. Plus, having a relationship can be really nice sometimes. Like waking up with strong arms wrapped around you. Making breakfast for two. Snuggling on the couch watching a game.

I heard the coffee maker beep, alerting me that it was done doing its thing. I leaned my head back and pulled a large cup out of the cupboard in front of my face. I stared at the cup for a moment. I really had no idea how he took his coffee. More then likely it was an off limits thing for him. You know. The whole 'body is a temple' thing.

"Black is fine."

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice. I hadn't even noticed that he was standing right behind me. Just an inch away. I filled the cup and then lifted the cup and handed it to him over my left shoulder. I looked back at him when he didn't take it from my hand. He was staring at my hand. My left hand. Shit! How much of an ass can I possibly be?

I turned around and tilted his face over towards mine. His face was blank, but his eyes were shiny. He looked into my eyes and I saw only pain. I felt a knife slide into my heart as I stared up at him. It was the first time that he had shown me any real emotion since the one night that we had shared together.

"You never said anything," I whispered. "How was I supposed to know?"

"I told you that I love you," he whispered as he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine.

"You always qualified it with 'in my own way'," I whispered as I set the untouched coffee on the counter next to me. "What exactly was I suppose to think?"

"That my own way was with everything that I have."

"You never pointed that out to me. I didn't know," I said simply with a small shrug.

"I know," he said as he opened his eyes and leaned back. "I've made a lot of mistakes with you."

I stood there and stared at him, not knowing exactly what I was suppose to do next. I love Ranger. But, I currently find myself married to another person. Would I have waited had I known that he did love me? I really don't know. There was still so much that I didn't know about him. With Dougie, I already knew everything that there was to know. I know his favorite TV show. I know that if he's down, he really likes coffee flavored ice cream. Hagen Daas preferably. I know that he has been living off of a multi-million dollar inheritance that he had gotten after his father died four years ago. I don't know any thing like that about Ranger.

"I don't know what I'm suppose to do, Ranger," I confessed as I felt myself getting frustrated. "I married Dougie."

"I know," he said as his hand came up and rested on my cheek.

It seemed like an innocent enough gesture. At first, I think that that's all that Ranger meant for it to be. But, as I looked deep into his eyes, I felt the mood in the air shift. My body temperature involuntarily went up a notch. He started to lean forward, but my hand flew up to his chest and pushed him back as my mind screamed out in protest.

"No poaching," I whispered.

With that said, he dropped his hand and took a step back. I wasn't about to cheat on Dougie. That included kissing. I wasn't married to Joe, that's why I let the kissing in the alley happen. But, I'm married to Dougie. This was a whole new ball game with a whole new set of rules.

"I'm sorry," he said as he glared down at the floor. "Just give me a little bit of time to adjust to this."

I nodded my head as I pulled my phone out. It was time for Tank to come and pick up his boss. I opened my phone and dialed one of the few numbers that I knew by heart. I placed the phone to my head and looked up at Ranger. He was leaning against the counter across from me. The man was actually brooding. For crying out loud! Drunk Ranger was not my favorite. It took a lot away from the man of mystery that I had come to love over the past few years.

"Tank."

"I think you can come and collect Ranger now," I said with out saying hello.

I was beyond using normal phone etiquette with any of the Merry Men. They must have all taken a class on improper phone usage. I heaved a sigh at the silence on the other end and decided that enough had been said. I closed my phone without saying goodbye. I could actually get use to this.

I grabbed Ranger by the hand and pulled him into my bedroom. I didn't feel all that great about leaving him standing in the kitchen alone. Lots of sharp objects. Not that I think that he'd actually hurt himself. It was more that I thought that he might wake up from the Vodka induced haze that he was in and decide to go after Dougie with one of my kitchen knives.

After sitting Ranger down in the chair that sat in the corner of my room, I grabbed a suitcase out of my closet and sat it on my bed. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to be needing while I was over at Dougie's. Shit! Where we going to live? Maybe that was one of the things that we were supposed to talk about tonight. I went over to my dresser and started tossing things over my shoulder and into my suitcase. Seven or eight shirts. Lots of jeans.

I opened my underwear drawer and froze. Exactly how pissed off is Ranger going to be when he sees me put lacy underwear and bras into the case on my bed. I looked over my shoulder at Ranger and saw that he was eyeing me. Well, if he needed to see then he was going to. I grabbed several panty and bra sets and dropped them into my case along with some socks. I looked down at the case and thought that I had enough to get me through for at least the next few days.

I closed the case and took it out into the living room. I was about to go back to my room to get Ranger when a fist hit my door a few times. Tank. I walked over to the door and opened it. He was frowning down at me.

"What?" I asked as I took a few steps back to let him in.

"You didn't look through the peep hole," he said as he pointed at the door when he stepped into my apartment.

"Give me a break, Tank," I said with an eye roll. "You're the only one that knocks like that. I always fear that my door is going to fly off its hinges when you knock."

He stared at me blankly for a moment. I held my ground because I could see the corners of his eyes start to crinkle. He was thinking about laughing. I could feel it. I didn't have to wait long until I heard a sound that I never got to hear enough. I had to smile as Tank tilted his head back and let out a bark of laughter. No wonder Lula loved him. He was normally in the 'above average looking black man' bracket. But, when he laughed, it was like the whole room lit up. He went from 'above average' to the 'Damn it! I hate being married!' bracket in two seconds flat. For a brief moment, I forgot about everything in the world. Mental note to self, I thought, make Tank laugh more often.

"Where is he?" Tank asked once he got himself under control.

"Chair in my bedroom," I said as I pointed over my shoulder.

"He okay?"

"He will be," I said with a small shrug. "You may want to tell the guys to tip toe for a few days. But, he'll be fine."

"I told him to quit wasting his time," Tank mumbled as he walked passed me and into my room.

I walked into my kitchen and grabbed Rex's aquarium before I shut off all the lights. Tank was standing at the door with a firm grip on Ranger's arm. I shook my head sadly when I realized for the first time that Ranger was really just a man underneath all of the mystery.

Tank grabbed my suitcase and ushered Ranger down the hall to the elevator as I locked up. I took the stairs and had the back door of my Tracker open for Tank to toss my bag in as he walked up. I took Ranger's face in my hands and gave him a small smile. He looked at me for a moment before he returned the smile.

"You gonna be a Dougie's?" Tank asked as I opened my door.

"Yeah," I said with a nod. "At least for the next few days while we get things straightened out."

"Call me if that changes," Tank said, then pushed Ranger over to the Bronco that was parked on the other side of the lot.

I jumped in my Tracker and saw the envelope sitting on the seat. I eyed it as I started up my little SUV and left the parking lot. I kept one eye on the road and one on the envelope as I drove through the Burg towards Dougie's. I guess I was expecting it to grow legs and start dancing on the seat.

"It's just an envelope," I said to myself out loud.

I pulled up to Dougie's and parked behind the black Bronco that was parked in front of the house. If I were Junior and Hal, I wouldn't want to go back to the office either. I grabbed Rex and decided that since the envelope hadn't exploded, it could come in too.

I found Dougie, Mooner, Hal, and Junior all sitting in the living room watching old Star Trek episodes. The original ones with William Shatner in them.

"Damn it, Jim," I said, in my best Bones impersonation, as I passed through the living room and headed into the kitchen.

I found myself pinned to the counter as two arms wrapped around my waist after I sat Rex's tank down. I felt his lips graze my neck and couldn't hold back the moan that formed in my throat. My breath hitched when his lips found the spot just below my ear. His tongue slid out as he ran it in slow circles around the sensitive area.

"You better stop," I whispered. "If my husband catches us, he may kill us both."

He chuckled as he turned me around in his arms. My lips caught his in a sweet kiss. I had actually started to miss him while I was away from him. That's interesting. The only time I ever missed Joe was when I hadn't had sex in a few weeks. I've been laid in the last twenty-four hours, so I knew that it wasn't that.

"Are things okay?" Dougie asked after he broke the kiss.

"They will be," I said as I smiled up at him. "Thanks for letting me take care of that on my own."

"He's your friend," he said as he smiled back down at me. "He'll get over it in time."

"I know," I said with a slight nod. I pointed over at Rex's tank and said," He isn't going to get a contact high sitting in here, is he?"

"We'll smoke outside," he said as he looked over at Rex. His eyes trailed over to the envelope. "What's that?"

"Don't know," I said as I grabbed the envelpoe and opened it.

Dougie leaned on the counter next to me and looked over my shoulder as I looked at the card. It had a beautiful water color painting of a rose on the front. I opened the card and it said in bright red lettering 'Congratulations!'. My eyes teared up as I saw that all the Merry Men had written little notes and signed it. They really were great guys.

"PINO'S!" Mooner shouted from the living room.

"I guess that's suppose to be some kind of hint," I laughed lightly as I closed the card and stuffed it back in its envelope.

"Come with me," Dougie said as he pulled me towards the door. "We can talk about things while we wait for the food."

"Like living arrangements?" I asked warily.

"It'll be okay," he said reassuringly. "Remember… one day at a time."

"Yeah," I agreed, still somewhat warily. "One day at a time."

THE END.


End file.
